**** Part 8 ****
"What is it jeeju? Why are you staring at me like that?" Dev asked Vivek. They had both come to the study lying about some impending office work leaving Rahul to pacify Muskaan.
"Kya hua Jeeju? Is everything okay?" Dev asked again seeing Vivek still staring at him in that peculiar manner.
"I am sorry Dev" Vivek stated his eyes downcast, not able to look into Dev's eyes anymore.
"for what Jeeju?" Dev asked, confusion very evident on his face.
"for believing what others said, for assuming what others assumed, for seeing something that was never there in your eyes" Vivek sighed, rubbing his eyes in regret.
"What are you talking about Jeeju" Dev asked not understanding the one sided puzzled statements Vivek made.
"About Vishaka and you. I, like others believed you had fallen in love with her. I believed what the media said about you two, I, like others also assumed that you love Vishaka. I believed in everything they said about you two. I started seeing or rather was illusioned to see that love for Vishaka in your eyes" Vivek confessed, pouring in a drink for himself and Dev.
"But yesterday, I saw that look in your eyes, the look of anticipation, excitement, curiosity and nervousness that every groom feels on his wedding day and it all suddenly made me realize that I have not once seen the pain, hurt, and sorrow one has when loosing the chance to be with the person they love" Vivek explained.
"When you agreed to marry the girl of Mrinalini's choice, I thought you were doing it to make her happy. I thought you were sacrificing your love to give your sister a new reason to live. And I really admired you for that. I have seen the change in Mrinalini during these past months. After Sia's death, I felt as if I had not only lost my child Sia but also Mrinalini"
"We all did Jeeju, we all felt the same way" Dev agreed, remembering those days after Sia's death. It was like all happiness had vanished from all their lives, an unknown darkness filled the Raghvansh mansion and its inhabitants.
"Yes but I saw the slight change in Mrinalini ever since Vishaka came into your life and when you agreed to get married it was as if Mrinalini had found a reason to leave again. The prospect of getting you married to the right girl and having your life finally settled became Mrinalini's reason to live. It's like she had gotten a new goal in life, a challenge to accomplish. I don't really know why she has such a strong dislike for Vishaka but I am thankful for it because it has given me my Mrinalini back" Vivek concluded.
"Yes, I agree and it really fills us all with immense happiness to have Didi back to normal. After Sia's death I thought I would never see her laugh, never see her argue with ma, never see her taunt Muskaan, never hear the ongoing bickering between the two" Dev admitted, but felt guilty for hiding the truth from him, should he tell him that it was all a plan? That Vishaka was only enacting the part he had told her to play……
"Thank you Dev, it's all because of you" Vivek said draining his second filling of the drink, while Dev still held his wine filled glass.
"I really don't understand why Mrinalini opposed Vishaka, I agree that Vishaka is a divorceee but Mrinalini was never that conservative in her believes. I just can't believe that Mrinalini refused to accept any relationship between you and Vishaka just because Vishaka is a divorced woman. I thought I knew mrinalini but recently I am starting to realize I never really knew her" Vivek sighed in frustration, it was really hard to understand his wife, even after 16 years of marriage with her he still did not fully know her.
"It is hard to understand Didi sometimes" Dev agreed with his brother-in-law and both fell into complete silence for few minutes each immersed in the thoughts of their wife.
"So how was it Dev? How is she?" Vivek asked suddenly filling the silence and bring Dev out of his thoughts, as he poured himself another drink, a teasing smile on his face.
"Who?" Dev asked absentmindedly as he stared at the newly developed wedding pictures just delivered by Keshav.
"Radhika" Vivek said, snatching the picture from Dev's hand.
"I don't know" Dev sighed as he lent back on his chair.
"What do you mean Dev? We all saw how you two were behaving this morning, the interaction between you two without any words, just through eyes" Vivek pointed, a smirk on his lips as he gave the picture back to Dev.
"Nothing happened Jiju. She was already asleep when I went to my room last night and woke up to her crying this morning" Dev clarified, understanding clearly what his brother-in-law wanted to hear.
"What? You mean nothing happened? Nothing?" Vivek asked in disbelief. Apparently he only heard the "nothing happened" part turning deaf to the rest.
"Yes, nothing happened. She has not said a word to me. She seems too scared, too frightened by the sudden change, finding herself away from home, away from her family, living in a new city amongst strangers who she is to call her family" Dev explained, his eyes staring at the picture of his wedding, his wife's face bent down, her head covered with the ghunghat and he staring straight with a blank face. Definitely NOT one of those perfect marriage picture at all.
"And what are you going to do about it? She is your wife make her understand the meaning of wife!" Vivek voiced slightly angered at Dev.
"No, I think I am going to take things slow, let her get used to this new life and surroundings, make her get comfortable with us all and then let's see what happens from then on" Dev defied.
"I understand that Dev but I think it would be better if you first made her comfortable with you, befriend her, attempt to make her come close to you not wait for her to get close to the family members first" Vivek suggested to which Dev just sighed, shook his head and returned his gaze to the picture in his hand.
"Are you regretting it Dev? It is understandable, she is very different from you, not one of those girls you have been around with" Vivek questioned staring at him in the eyes.
"No, of course not. She is beautiful, seems to be very respectful of everyone, I see no pride neither the arrogance of coming from the wealthy family. She is educated, seems to be matured and is a very great cook" Dev answered with a smile.
"Yes, indeed a very great cook" Vivek agreed.
"She is what I have always pictured my wife to be, she has all those qualities I wanted in my wife but there is one little problem though"
"What?" Vivek asked
"She is too beautiful, too innocent to be a human…. To belong to me" Dev answered.
"But then…. I don't think Didi would have chosen a wrong girl for me. Didi knows how I am; she knows what I want better than me. You know she has always gotten me the best" Dev explained to his brother-in-law, who nodded his head in affirmation. Yes, Mrinalini has always gotten the best thing, always the best in life for Dev but this time it was not a thing it was a person and Vivek feared if she really was the best for Dev…….
************
Dev walked into his room to see Radhika watching TV. She was sitting on the couch, watching the discovery channel. She suddenly bolted up from the couch upon seeing her pati enter the room.
"Sit down Radhika, carry on watching. I am going to just lie down for a while" Dev said smiling at his wife as he settled himself on the bed.
He watched her as she slightly nodded her head, slowly settling herself back on the couch and stared at the TV screen. Dev did notice the rigid posture of her body, the trembling hands, her eyes staring at the screen but not watching it. He knew, he understood she was too conscious and scared of his presence to concentrate on watching TV. Dev sighed, running his hands through his hair, he wondered what exactly her family told her about him, why she seemed to be so fearful of him and his family.
"Radhika, come here" He called, his voice calm and even. He realized she wasn't going to relax anytime soon, he had to talk to her, help her understand there was nothing to fear from him and his family.
Radhika sprang up and hurried towards him, her head downcast and her fingers holding the edges of her dupatta in a tight grip as she stood in front of him, peering at him through her lashes. Dev smiled at the questionable gaze she was giving him, wondering again why she seemed so very shy and scared all the time. He saw the fear that was always present in her eyes.
"Come, sit here" Dev said patting the space on the bed beside him as he lifted himself up on the bed. Dev could see the tension and fear in Radhika as she hesitantly sat on the bed opposite him with very little space between them……
"Radhika" Dev sighed in frustration, for the past ten minutes she had sat there still staring at her lap, clenching and unclenching her trembling hands. She still did not look up but her hands lay still on her lap.
"Radhika, will you please look at me?" Dev asked in a soft whisper. She did as he asked her.
"We need to talk for a moment" Dev said, trying to calm her down. She looked very pale, her eyes clouded with tears. He stared at her face; she was staring at him with a disbelief look in her eyes. Her face held no expression making him realize that it was only her eyes that showed any emotion.
Radhika nodded her head slightly, trying to hold in her tears. She was scared, very scared at what her Pati would do to her. Her mind played the visions she had been haunted by for so many years, the whipping, the screaming and the pain.
"I don't know what you were told about me and my family but I want to assure you that you need not fear us. We are not going to hurt you, Radhika. No one is going to hurt you here."
Radhika's eyes searched his face.
"We won't hurt you Radhika" Dev assured her staring into her disbelief eyes. Dev watched as Radhika stared at him, the pupils of her eyes widen, and then Dev saw it, for the first time she let slip the expressionless mask. A look of incredulity crossed her features, and this time it was not just her eyes.
"You are now my wife, Badi Bahu of this family. We are your new family now and I hope you will accept this new family as yours." Dev concluded his eyes watched as she tightly clenched her hands, so tight was the grip that her knuckles had turned white. Dear god what dreadful lies did her family fill her mind with that she was so fearful of him and his family? He wondered how awful her brothers might have been to her, he did met the two brothers and the father and it did not go unnoticed by him that they were those conservative, old fashioned and male dominant personalities.
Radhika narrowed her eyes.
"Will you accept this new family, w-will you… will you accept me as your husband?" Dev asked her wanting to get her answer.
No response.
"Will you, Radhika?" Dev asked again, his eyes wandering back to her white knuckles, he winced at how seemed to dig her fingernails into her other hand.
Radhika's eyes searched his face again, tilting her head up slightly she gave him a very faint nod. Dev smiled at the response and was pleased to notice the hint of a smile in her eyes…. "just her eyes" He whispered to himself, he still had a long way to go….
"Show me your hands" He stated suddenly, his eyes lingering at her hands which were grasped in a deathly grip, he had been watching at how she had continued to wriggle her hands as he talked with her. He wanted to her to stop the deathly grip, but odering her to do so would not be wise and so he used the excuse of being interested in the mehndi intricated in her hands, stating he wished to see the Mehendi that covered her hands, search for his name hidden in those designs. Maybe it was a good step as it is he had not gotten to do it last night and he did not want to lose this opportunity to create some closeness between them. Jiju had been right, he must first make her comfortable with himself and then the family members. Seeing her hesitate, he grabbed her hands and extended them towards him.
"AHHH" Radhika winced at the sudden pain in her left arm when Pati dragged her hand towards him.
Dev let go of the hands hearing Radhika's wince. "What happened? Did I hurt you?" He asked with worry, he had been very gentle at holding her hands.
Radhika shook her head in denial but Dev did not fail to see her cradling her left arm and her painful expression.
"Let me look at it" Dev said extending his hand. His eyes on her face. Dev took her hand and examined her hand pulling her long sleeves up…….
Radhika hesitantly extended her left arm towards Pati not wanting to get him angry. He had been very kind to her till now and she wanted it to stay that way…..
***********
"Are Dev, accha hua tum aa gaye. I was about to call you two down for lunch. Come let's eat." Mrinalini said upon seeing Dev rushing down the stairs with Radhika following behind him.
"Not now Didi, I am taking Radhika to the doctor's. She has a broken arm that needs tending" Dev informed as he rushed past Mrinalini.
"Stop right there, Dev!" Mrinalini called out seeing Dev call out for the driver.
"Didi, I re-"
"None of you are going to step out of the house today. Neither you nor Radhika! We have the Muh-Dikhai rasam in few hours and I don't want any tamasha" Mrinalini stated cutting Dev.
"But Radhika's arm" Dev protested
" Muskaan will look at it for now" Mrinalini answered.
"lekin-" Mrinalini glared at her brother chossing to ignore his plea turned to speak with Muskaan "after lunch check Radhika's arm and please tell your dad to stop by tonight"
"But Didi Muskaan doesn't know anyth-" Dev stopped his objection seeing the glare Rahul was giving him for not having faith in Muskaan and he dared not look in Muskaan's direction…..
"Ji didi, lekin papaji ko kyu?" Muskaan asked confused what would her dad do at the muh-dikhai? Wasn't it a ladies thing?
"because your father is a physician and he can run a more thorough check on Radhika's arm and see if she really has any broken bones" Mrinalini replied in annoyance, why did Rahul marry such a brainless dolt?
"Yes, Mr. chadda can tend to her arm tonight. Now come let's go and have lunch, we need to get things ready, in few hrs the guests will be pouring in to look at badi bahu" this time it was Kamini who exclaimed. The pundit had specified on the bride and groom not stepping out of the house for at least one week but Kamini did not want to let Dev know of that now. Tomorrow Mrinalini will handle the situation.
"DadiMa, aap bhi" Dev sighed in defeat.
"Dev" Kamini sighed at her grandson.
"It will only take an hour" Dev pointed not ready to give up.
"To the dinning table Dev!" Mrinalini ordered.
"par-"
"Right now!" Mrianlini screamed seeing Dev still standing.
"Fine!" Dev stomped before walking towards the dining room.
Radhika followed pati hurriedly, the look of incredulity on her face. She was shocked, surprised seeing the confrontation between Didi and Pati. Shocked to see a woman ordering a man, dominating everyone in the house, surprised to see men following her orders, Pati doing what his sister, a woman orders him to do. All her life, she had been told, and had seen how all the men in her family dominated her mother and her. She had heard from her mother, her father and brothers on how women should always follow what men tell them, how it is men who are superior then women, how it is men who set the rules and women follows. But for the first time she was seeing a woman who set the rules and all the men in the house followed those rules.
She sat there at the dining table in a daze, thinking and replaying the events of the past two days. Yes, this family was different, very different, where it was not a man who set the rules it was a woman who ruled this house and Radhika had to follow every rule set by this woman, she must do everything she is told to do to please Didi. If she accomplished that then maybe life will be easier to live in this house, maybe she might get away from the whippings and painful tortures by her Pati she had been dreading most of her life about.
"Radhika" Mrianilini called shaking her shoulder and bringing Radhika out of her thoughts.
"Eat, Radhika" Mrianilini said pointing at her plate.
Radhika looked up at her Pati who nodded his head with a smile and threw a glare at his sister, to which Mrinalini just glared back with a pointed look………
Well that was part 8...... now you all know one of the reasons why Mrinalini dislikes Vishaka. Do let me know your thoughts on this part....
Part 9: chat between Mrinalini, Muskaan and Radhika and the preparations for Muh-Dikhai.
PS: I will be posting the thank you note so please read the next post (below this one).
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